WASHINGTON (JTA) – U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar apologized for saying that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) buys politicians’ support of Israel after the Democratic leadership called for an apology.

“Anti-Semitism is real and I am grateful for Jewish allies and colleagues who are educating me on the painful history of anti-Semitic tropes,” the freshman Minnesota Democrat said Monday in a statement posted on Twitter, where her offensive posts had appeared a day earlier. [Read more…]

JERUSALEM (JTA) – A new Israeli government report identified over 100 cases of links between the internationally designated terrorist organizations Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and at least 13 NGOs promoting the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel

(JTA) – The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) stripped Malaysia of the right to host the 2019 World Para Swimming Championships over its refusal to allow Israeli athletes to enter the country to participate.

The IPC made its announcement on Sunday. Malaysia, it said in a statement, “failed to provide the necessary guarantees that Israeli Para swimmers could participate, free from discrimination, and safely in the Championships. This includes full compliance with the IPC protocols related to anthems and flags, and where required the provision of relevant visas.” [Read more…]

Nati Rom, founder of the anti-Israel boycott organization Lev Haolam, walks next to an Airbnb apartment located in an outpost near the West Bank Jewish settlement of Shiloh, Nov. 20, 2018. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)

(JTA) – Five American Jewish citizens filed a lawsuit against Airbnb alleging the company’s policy to ban listings from Jewish West Bank settlements discriminates against Jews.

Two of the five plaintiffs also are Israeli citizens and live in Efrat in the West Bank. [Read more…]

JERUSALEM (JTA) – The European Union gave nearly $5.7 million US to organizations that promote boycotts against Israel in 2017 and 2018, a new Israeli government report found.

The money has gone to at least 10 nongovernmental organizations, including one based in Gaza, according to the report titled “The Money Trail: 2nd Edition,” released Wednesday by the Strategic Affairs Ministry. [Read more…]

Israeli player Lior Ben David, front, shown at a match at the Baku 2015 European Games at the Water Polo Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 15, 2015. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images for BEGOC)

(JTA) – Spain’s minister for sports apologized for the cancelling of a water polo match in Barcelona against an Israeli team due to the organizer’s decision to boycott it.

Minister José Girao apologized to his Israeli counterpart Thursday over the cancelling earlier this month of an Israeli team’s match against the national women’s team of Spain because the Nautical Club Molins de Rei in a suburb of Barcelona refused to host it. [Read more…]

(JTA) – Activist Linda Sarsour appeared to criticize American Jews for dual loyalty to Israel in a Facebook post calling for support for Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar, following a backlash over her announcement that she supports boycotting Israel.

Sarsour wrote in the post on Thursday that Omar is “being attacked for saying that she supports BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions against Israel) and the right for people to engage in constitutionally protected freedoms. This is not only coming from the right-wing but some folks who masquerade as progressives but always choose their allegiance to Israel over their commitment to democracy and free speech.” [Read more…]

(JTA) – Organizers of an interfaith meeting in Tunisia among members of the Scout Movement disinvited French Jewish delegates following pressure by promoters of boycotts against Israel.

The two delegates of the International Forum of Jewish Scouts were excluded from the meeting held last week at the resort town of Hammamet for members of the youth movement from around the world. Titled “Interfaith Dialog Ambassadors,” the event brought together 150 participants from 24 countries. [Read more…]

Israeli player Lior Ben David, front, shown at a match at the Baku 2015 European Games at the Water Polo Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan, June 15, 2015. (Matthias Hangst/Getty Images for BEGOC)

(JTA) – The Spanish organizers of a World Cup water polo tournament have suspended a game featuring Israel’s national team following protests by promoters of a boycott of the Jewish state.

Israel’s match against the national women’s team of Spain had been scheduled for Tuesday at the Nautical Club Molins de Rei in a suburb of Barcelona, but organizers cancelled it the day before amid pressure by the Catalonia chapter of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, El Pais reported. The newspaper reported that the refusal to host the Israelis came from the operators of the club, which is not run by the municipality of Molins de Rei. [Read more…]